David Barbe pens AJC op-ed in support of music industry tax incentive

Published February 26, 2014

David Barbe

David Barbe, director of Terry's Music Business Program, wrote an opinion piece in support of a proposal from Georgia State Representative Ben Harbin that would give tax breaks to music projects in the state.

Such incentives could help Georgia economically in much the same way that film industry tax breaks have bolstered the state's movie industry, Barbe writes. It would allow Georgia to compete with sites like Nashville, New York and Los Angeles as a hub for musical recording.

"What would make more music recording projects come to Georgia?" he asks. "The basics are the same as many industries: talent, facilities and infrastructure. We have the talent base. We also have many excellent production facilities and ancillary service providers. I believe these would grow in number and stature if we had a unique identifier that set us apart as a destination for recording projects."